


As Above, So Below

by VioletWestenra



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, F/F, Major Character Injury, Misogyny, Religious Content, Witch Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22221478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletWestenra/pseuds/VioletWestenra
Summary: As High Priestess, Zelda Spellman had sworn to protect her coven, no matter the cost. Now, alone in the mortuary as the Witch Hunters approached, she could only hope the Queen of Hell would hear her prayers.
Relationships: Zelda Spellman & Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith, Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith
Comments: 13
Kudos: 137





	1. The Tale of Jezebel

**Author's Note:**

> This one came to me as kind of a test. It's a pretty gruesome one, and I, being a fairytale kind of girl, had never written anything like this! So, if it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip this one! Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

The clock struck three o’clock in the afternoon of a rainy day when the skies parted over Greendale. It had been a normal, quiet Tuesday, no forewarning, no terrible omen, just two angels, in dress shirts and ties, their crossbows and fiery swords as they were guided by the angry men of Greendale to the mortuary.

Below their feet, Hell was sealed shut before anything could be done, magical wards of divine powers, burning golden, dividing two worlds as the deafening sound of trumpets echoed all the way to the underground. Not the final battle, but a cruel, cowardly message from the false God to the new Queen of Hell, as a father who taunts his fallen daughter as she ascends to power, as if he hadn’t made her himself, of the same clay he had molded man from.

The curve of her hip against the kitchen table and smoke of a lit cigarette framing her face delicately, Zelda had her usual newspaper discarded in favor of a heavy leather-bound planner since that morning. Lesson plans, schedules, lists of academic and religious tomes taking the forefront of her mind. She once again ran her eyes dutifully over the never-ending pile of papers when the strange light invaded the room. Breath caught in her throat, only her stubbornness kept her feet planted firmly on the same spot, as the unknown unfolded right before her. Gigantic, daunting, and still, easily recognizable.

As the expression on her sister’s face froze into a mask of terror, Hilda frowned, turning around to look at whatever it was Zelda’s eyes were glued to. At first sight it looked like lightning. Golden lightning that rippled and shimmered, that split the sky in two and lasted way too long to be natural. 

‘Hilda! Stay away from the windows, gather the coven in the parlor and go to the Moon Valley. This is an emergency, I trust you remember our protocol,’ she yelled ‘and when you get there, put up your strongest wards and do not let them down until I arrive. Understood?’

Until she arrived. A promise without guarantee. Hilda nodded, fear in her eyes as her sister muttered a chant in Latin, words falling quickly from her lips as she repeated them again and again, arms stretched forward and desperation in her eyes. Still, the younger witch’s feet just refused to move.

‘Now!’ Zelda barked, breaking her spellcasting for a moment, just enough to send Hilda running towards the parlor. 

She took a deep breath, trying to keep a clear mind, an unbroken chant as the light blinded her for a moment. After that flash of burning white, the skies sewed themselves together once again, allowing her to see a small group approach the house. She counted five shadows. Five silhouettes moving faster and faster towards her. Towards her family. Men, all of them, and even though she couldn’t see their eyes, something inside her made her certain that they could see her as well, through the windowpane.

The figures moved almost as one, dark against soft gray and bright green as they crossed the limits of the wards in place, step after unflinching step. As they moved closer, she could tell the old Kinkle man led the group, but clearly his grandson was nowhere to be seen. She raised her chin, eyes unshifting, stance unchanging. For a moment, she allowed her mind to recite a soft, almost hesitant prayer to the Queen of Hell, as she watched as her every effort to stop their advances did nothing. 

Muffled steps and whispers filled her ears as the coven prepared to leave the house, children and adults working silent as mice and frantic as ants, trying to make sure they had all they needed and that everyone was accounted for. They would be safe. She had made a vow to those people as they accepted her leadership. No more losses. She would make sure that it remained unbroken, no matter the cost.

The men circled the house all the way to the porch, the front door, and Zelda mirrored their path, on the inside of the house, her murmured prayers gaining strength with every step leading her to the bottom of the stairs in the entrance hall.

A knock.

She looked back for a moment as her lips kept moving, eyes pleading as they met Hilda’s. Begging them to go. Begging her sister not to ask. She needed them to be safe.

A second knock. It looked like the door would tear off the hinges any second. They had to move faster.

Zelda knew that the wards on the house were particularly strong, as those walls had sheltered generations upon generations of Spellman witches and warlocks as they lived and died. She also knew that bloodline magic, especially if tied to a house, would demand the power of all its inhabitants to work properly. Ancient and complex as it was, it would be absolutely unreasonable for a single witch to attempt to wield it all alone, it was simply too heavy, too draining. She cleared her mind once again for a moment, calling upon all of her ancestors, calling upon the magic that bound them, upon their blood that still ran in her veins.

It was dangerous. It was reckless. It was desperate and completely absurd. It was still her best shot at saving what was left of her coven, of her family.

‘Zelds… We are going. Are you sure you’re not-?’ Hilda asked, hesitantly stepping out of the parlor into the hall.

‘Go. Someone must take care of this once and for all. Let them live and more will come, and then it will be our blood spilled. Now go. And remember, until I arrive, you are High Priestess, Hildegard. Protect them. Comfort them. You know what to do.’

Suddenly, she felt as if standing under heavy rain. Standing breathless for a moment, she conjured a new set of wards, ones that tasted like blood and bone marrow, the barrier of magic thick against her hands, overwhelming and unstable.

Third knock. The door flew open.

Zelda held her breath, watching from the corner of her eye as Hilda gathered the children in the parlor. There was no time left. The door was open, yes, but no one had yet dared to step inside. She could feel the unrelenting push of heavenly powers against the wards forcing her to step back, to climb the first three steps of the staircase. However, she couldn’t allow herself to be intimidated. Faltering was not an option, even for a single moment. Trying not to give her sister’s location away, she kept looking straight ahead, raising an eyebrow, haughty and poised.

‘Mr. Kinkle. May I help you?’ Annoyance was clear in her voice, but she stood unwavering.

Hilda froze as she heard her sister’s voice. There was no time left. With one last look over her shoulder, she wished for her sister’s safety, murmuring her own little prayer. The coven gathered closer together, scared children looking at her for guidance. Gently shushing the frightened whispers, she counted how many of them were there. Once. Twice. Wrong number. She gasped, counting again. Still wrong. She looked around, naming each face, searching for two of the smallest children. Gwen and Eliphas.

Not finding them, Hilda felt a lump in her throat. She knew they had been there a mere minute before. Running to the parlor doorway, she could see as the two of them, barely old enough to learn their first prayers, huddled together around the little girl’s toy goat, making themselves as small as possible, in the sitting room all the way across the main hall. It was nothing short of an unholy miracle that they hadn’t been seen by those men yet.

Someone crouched by her side, and as Hilda looked down, she saw nothing but a flash of a red coat and white hair, dashing daringly across the entrance hall towards the children.

‘Sabrina!’ she couldn’t help but shout, hands flying to her own mouth as the girl crossed the room, between her aunt and the witch hunters, just on the inside of the wards as bolts and bullets rained against it.

Zelda held her breath in terrified suspension, heels digging into the carpet as she tried to withstand the fierce attack, blessed silver bullets and angelic steel bolts damaging the only thing protecting her family, protecting the niece she loved as if she was her own child. Against her palms, the wards crackled and protested, heavy and demanding, as she shifted them to protect Sabrina completely.

A gasp escaped past her lips as she lost the rhythm of her chanting, in that one moment of fearful silence, and the wards flickered for a moment. It was barely the blink of an eye, but just enough for one of the angels to shoot a bolt through the barrier. He did not aim for the girl, but slightly higher, and once again she couldn’t breathe. The feeling overtook her for a moment, not pain quite yet, just a burning sensation she couldn’t determine if hot or cold. She knew it was now a matter of time before she fell, but kept holding on, ignoring the satisfied look on his youthful features.

‘Go!’ She shouted, looking into her niece’s scared eyes, certain that the girl had seen something the others hadn’t. 

Sabrina hesitated for a second before disappearing with the children in a cloud of smoke. For a moment, Zelda thought she had seen that look of fierce determination on her niece’s face once again. She only hoped the girl wouldn’t make matters worse.

At her sister’s command, Hilda, unwilling to look back once again, smiled, even though it didn’t reach her eyes.

‘Now let’s all hold hands, shall we?’ she said in a rushed whisper.

Without a moment of hesitance, they all obeyed, forming a circle. She took a deep breath.

‘ _Lanuae Magicae_ ’

And then there was only Zelda.

Silence. Feigning composure, she once again counted. The old Kinkle man. Two other mortals who worked at the mines. Two angels dressed as missionaries. Three shotguns, two crossbows. Not what anyone would call favorable odds.

Zelda shivered, the exhaustion from holding up the wards was taking its toll, as they were meant to be supported by four people, and no matter how powerful, the High Prestess was still only one witch. Added to the bolt piercing her in the side, she knew wouldn’t be able to keep them up much longer. Time was of the essence, and she couldn’t help but feel she was in disadvantage. Moved by instinct only, she once again allowed the chant to fall from her lips. 

Another round of bullets and bolts hit the wards. Staggering, she tasted blood in the back of her throat. At that pace, she was fairly certain the magic would consume her until she was no more. Her family was safe, but still, a lone witch was a much easier prey. Perhaps it was time to acknowledge that her trembling knees were not only from pain and exhaustion.

For a moment, she allowed herself to beg Lilith for a sign, for anything. Although fear coursed through her veins, she couldn’t force herself to leave, couldn’t bear to think how they would burn her home to the ground if she fled, and how she would gladly lay down her life if it meant permanent safety for her family and her church.

The wards crackled against her hands, straining under both the attacks and the angels’ own shield of heavenly power, opposing forces battling each other. She felt weak, the demanding pull of magic draining her almost completely, and still, no sign of Lilith. No answer. No soft breeze running through her hair, no unexpected warmth on the back of her neck. Maybe the Queen of Hell had more important things on her mind, maybe her plans were greater than a coven comprised of a dozen orphans, ran by an arrogant woman who had appointed herself High Priestess. Maybe this was of no importance to her at all. Still, Zelda couldn’t help but call to her with whatever little hope she still possessed.

‘Well, Miss Spellman,’ one of the missionaries started, ‘what do we have here?’ he laughed, disturbingly cheerful.

‘You are not welcome in this house and I command you to leave.’ She spat, perfectly controlled, fury posing as the strength she felt fade away.

‘Oh, I am very sorry to inform you that is not how we work. You see, we have been given a glorious purpose by the Almighty.’ His voice dripped with false benevolence. ‘What an honor won’t it be to be the one to set the example for your family, huh? We’ve been told that Lilith’s High Priestess would be beyond salvation, but I believe that if you search within your heart, you will see the error of your ways and be the first to guide your kind into the path of repentance, Miss Spellman.’

Zelda did not stagger. Did not sway, but looked the angel right in the eye, smirking and spiteful, pain burning in her body, venom in her tongue.

‘Well, then your false God will have to do better.’

Finally dropping the shield that kept them from moving forwards, she pulled the bolt from its place between her ribs, only to have the thin wooden shaft break between her fingers at the slightest touch. Those bolts were not meant to be removed. Since the beginning of time, angels were known to kill with cruelty, angelic steel was poison inside a witch’s body, and for as long as the steel point remained embedded in her flesh, she would bleed until there was no blood left in her body. She would not be intimidated. She refused to.

‘ _Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terraem…_ ’ the young man’s smile faded, replaced by cruel fury burning in his eyes.

As the prayer fell from his lips and more bullets and crossbow bolts hit the wards, as the same golden lightning that had split the sky in two moments before, drowned the room in its blinding light.

Zelda felt panic surge within her. It couldn’t be. Even without the wards, the house was still unholy ground, generations upon generations of her family had made sure of that. There was no way they could conjure the power of the False God within those walls, and yet, it was happening right before her eyes. She tasted blood once again, this time coating her tongue, thick and warm and spilling out from the corners of her mouth, running down her chin, her neck. Her knees gave in. On her lips, only one word.

‘Lilith…’ she whispered, as reality slipped from her grasp and the world faded from blur to black.

Unfamiliar voices. Something slow and wet and warm running down her side. The strange but comforting smell of the floorboards and the feel of the faded red rug beneath her cheek. For a moment, she almost allowed her body to relax, eyes still closed, senses slowly returning. Then came the pain, a shock to her system. Not the steel between her ribs, but something wrapped tightly around her wrists and ankles, burning into her soft flesh like hot metal, or perhaps acid. She couldn’t tell. Sharp, cold air invaded her lungs and she opened her eyes, disoriented, a panicked gasp leaving her lips before she could tame the pain into silence.

‘She’s awake!’ a gruff shout echoed, as weapons were once again pointed at her. 

‘Oh, we’re so glad to have you back with us, Miss Spellman. Not very gracious of a woman to leave her guests unattended, is it?’ The angel chuckled, kneeling on the ground next to her fallen form, his hand cradling her bruised cheek, pressing his thumb against her skin only hard enough to make it hurt. ‘Now, you could start by telling us where the rest of your coven is hiding.’

Zelda blinked, willing the dizziness to fade. He was so close she could see the name pinned to his cardigan. “Barachmiel”, it read. She tried to sit up, elbow pushing against the floor as pain flared once again, drawing her attention to whatever it was that bound her ankles together. Silver ropes, a kind that she had never seen before.

‘I will not tell you where my family is, so if you intend to kill me, you might as well do it at once. It won’t make your endeavor or you False God any less pathetic.’ Annoyance was clear in her voice, but something inside her still felt fragile and fearful as she tested the fine line between pushing on those men’s fantasies of overpowering her and frustrating them enough that they would just end it.

With a sigh and an awkward half shrug, she feigned indifference, as if met with only a minor inconvenience, pursing her lips as the old Kinkle man lost his temper, pushing the angel out of the way, pressing the muzzle of his double-barreled shotgun against her skin, between her eyebrows.

‘Y’know, when I was a boy, my father used to take me hunting,’ the metal slid against her skin, tracing her eyebrow, reaching her temple, ‘he said it helped shape a man.’

Never stopping, the muzzle now rested against her chin, still going lower. Neck. Collarbone.

‘Of course, back then we only shot deer, and it wasn’t until recently I learned my family used to hunt your kind, you see, but if I had known I could be staring down the barrel at much prettier prey, I’d have gone back to this years ago. ’ He slid the barrel even further down, pressing against her breast, slowly pushing at the slightly plunging neckline of her blouse until the black lace of her bra was revealed. His eyes gleamed.

‘I don’t know what boorish teachings your father passed on to you, Mr. Kinkle, but at this point you should have learned this,’ she looked him in the eye, fury coursing through her veins, making her steady, lethal, ‘witches are not quarry.’

It started slowly, the crackle of magic filling the air, metal rippling and winding silently, moving on its own as if it was a living creature, gun turned into a strange silver snake guided into its own will by the witch’s panted words, growing louder every moment.

The ropes that bound her wrists and ankles mirrored the action, wound themselves tighter and higher, retaliating, burning her skin as bloody tears streamed down her face. Heavenly magic against witchcraft. Despite the pain, she remained fearless, and her chanting grew louder still. Suddenly it was as if the shotgun had become a whip, quickly wrapping itself around the man’s neck, tighter and tighter as the silver ties did the same to her limbs.

The metal coil around the Kinkle man’s neck tightened, as his thick fingers wrapped themselves around it, pulling it in all directions, away from his flesh, ineffectively. He yelled and cursed, gurgling noises tearing from his throat. The words kept falling from her lips, the chanting unbroken. She wasn’t sure how long it lasted. She only knew when it ended.

The silence was only broken by her pained groan, punishing fire consuming her body from within. He fell, lifeless, bloated in shades of red and purple, laying on the ground in front of her, barely three inches separating her face from his foaming mouth, his dark, swollen tongue touching the carpet. She held her breath for a moment, as the body was yanked away from her, and she was once again staring at Barachmiel.

‘Oh, Miss Spellman, this won’t do, won’t do at all.’ He shook his head, sighing. ‘You see, you and your jewelry, fine clothes, painted face, remind me a lot of the tale of Jezebel. Ever hear of it?’ The angel knelt beside her, his ever-present smile not fading even after witnessing the death of a mortal. She stared at him blankly as he continued. ‘You see, much like yourself, she believed herself to be a very powerful woman, and much like yourself, she was vain, perverse, and shamelessly worshipped all that’s evil.’ He paused, pensive. ‘Do you know what The Almighty did to her?’ 

‘Oh, spare me the propaganda-’

‘He made sure she paid for her crimes. She was thrown from her window, it was said her blood painted the walls red, but she didn’t die right away, no.’ Something dark gleamed deep into his eyes. ‘She was trampled by a horse, still conscious, and felt every last one of her bones breaking.’ The ropes, that now reached her knees and elbows, wound themselves so tight against her that she was sure she felt something crack. ‘And only when stray dogs feasted on her flesh, The Almighty finally allowed her to die, so she could forever burn in the pits of hell.’

The angel’s words sounded like an echo in the distance. It was as if the lights in the room had started flickering, slowly and rhythmically. Zelda wondered why none of the men seemed to notice, as the colors of the entrance hall once again faded to black in the middle of the afternoon, only to return to normal in a second. The silky fabric of her blouse felt heavy, wet and warm, clinging to her skin.

In a sudden change of tone, the beatific smile returned to Barachmiel’s face.

‘However, Miss Spellman, we believe that it doesn’t have to be this way, there is still time, you can still save your soul. So, I will give you one last chance to repent and tell me where the rest of your kind is hiding.’ He waited, smiling. She remained silent. ‘Just say the words, and then, you will ask the Almighty for forgiveness for your evildoings and we-’ He stopped, that sinister gleam returning to his eyes.

‘No? Too bad, it seems we’ll have to-’

The angel couldn’t finish his sentence, for in a second, blue flames engulfed him completely, breaking her out of her daze. She watched his lips part as he screamed in agony, so desperately it looked like his jaw would dislocate at any moment but heard nothing. The world was silent. Hellfire. Warmth. A glimpse of dark hair.

Darkness.

A familiar scent.

A distant voice.

She felt as someone gently untied her wrists and ankles, cursing as the ropes burned them too. The voice called her name. She opened her eyes.

‘Lilith?’ Zelda asked, looking into those eyes of guilt-drowned blue.

‘Yes. Yes.’ Lilith’s voice was barely above a whisper, hands hovering above the witch’s body, too scared to touch her. ‘You… what did they do to you?’

Zelda tried to sit up, groaning as she failed. The rush of adrenaline and magic was fading, and the pain grew by the second, in a terrifying grasp around her lungs. She was running out of time.

‘Nothing.’ She panted. ‘It’s nothing. Listen to me. You need to make sure the coven is safe. If there are any more of those-’

‘There aren’t. They’re all dead.’ The demoness interrupted. ‘The coven is safe.’

‘Good. Good.’ Zelda nodded, gasping.

‘Zelda?’ Lilith stopped for a moment. ‘You smell of blood.’

‘I killed a man.’ She nodded towards the only dead body in the room that hadn’t been rendered into little more than a man-shaped pile of ashes.

‘I mean your own blood.’ Came the distraught reply.

Zelda sighed, pursing her lips, trying to look as annoyed as possible, but it did very little to hide the fear in her eyes.

‘Yes, I am aware. One of the angels shot me.’

A beat. Lilith paled.

‘He did what!?’

‘Don’t make me repeat myself, Lilith, it’s nothing. Just get Hilda, she’ll know what to do.’

Zelda hissed as those hands quickly undid the buttons at the front of her blouse, exposing the black bra she wore, and right beneath it, on the left side of her body, the wound, steadily oozing blood, soaking the carpet underneath her in a dark, dark puddle. It was clearly going to stain, the clean-up would be a nightmare. At least she was pretty sure Hilda would come up with some outstanding solution for that. Hilda had always been so much betterthan herself when it came to housework. At fixing things. At fixing people. Hilda. Hilda could heal her.

‘Is that really necessary? Hilda will certainly be here soon…’ she trailed off, sucking in a shuddering breath as she tried to push Lilith’s hands away.

Lilith ignored the witch’s words, stopping again for a moment, watching as a faint but distinctive glow shone under Zelda’s skin. Angelic steel. There was no way a witch could remove it, it took a greater power to undo what angels did. She hesitated, mouth dry, despair burning in her throat. The witch had stopped fighting her, pale hands now limp, heavy-lidded eyes staring through her, glazed.

‘Zelda? Talk to me.’ Nothing. ‘Look at me, Zelda, please.’ Green eyes blinked at her, exhausted disoriented. ‘Please, keep looking at me…’ Lilith spoke in an almost prayer-like manner, Zelda thought. It was almost funny that the one she prayed to every night would say her name with such reverence. At least outside the bedroom. 

Darkness loomed on the edge of Zelda’s vision. That couldn’t be good, she thought, strangely calm as Lilith touched her face, tenderness in her fingers, tracing the bruise that had started to form on her cheekbone. Zelda watched as those red lips moved, in a question she did not understand. Suddenly, the touch burned unlike anything she had ever felt before. She tried not to react, not to show any emotion at her distant voice, any weakness, but the air felt heavier by the second. Before she relaxed into unconsciousness once more, she could have sworn she saw Lilith’s lips form three words they had silently agreed never to say to each other.


	2. Tongue-tied

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Thank you so much for all the support and lovely messages! It's been really encouraging and and exciting to know that you liked part 1 and for that I thank you all from the bottom of my heart! Now, on to part 2! Enjoy!!

Lavender. Roses. A hint of smoke in endless pillows and smothering blankets. Her own bed. Fingers caressing the back of her hand. For a moment, she allowed her heart to flutter, wondering who it might be, but a soft whisper destroyed any hope she could have nurtured.

‘Zelds?’

Hilda. Hilda was there. Hilda had arrived. She quickly opened her eyes in the dim light of her bedroom, to find her sister’s still worried but relieved gaze.

‘Oh, Zelds! You’re awake!’ Hilda pressed a cold compress to her temple. ‘How are you feeling?’

She felt sick. Sore. Worse than she could ever remember feeling, but still the sight of her sister made something inside her feel lighter. .

‘Like hellrot, naturally. Is the coven-’

‘Everyone is fine, Zelds.’ She interrupted, hesitating. ‘Perhaps I should tell Lilith you’re awake? Let the two of you work things out?’

Zelda frowned.

‘Whatever do you mean by that, sister?’ She paused for a moment, allowing reality to sink in. ‘Wait, Lilith is still here? How long has it been since… What happened?’

‘Oh… I really don’t think I should be the one to tell you this, just… hear her out, alright, love? You’ve been out for quite a while, and she… Just promise me you’ll listen, will you?’ Hilda tried to leave the room as quickly as possible, muttering something about a potion, but Zelda’s commanding voice made her stop.

‘Hildegard!’ Hilda turned back to her. ‘What happened? What did she say?’ Silence. ‘What did you see?’ Silence. Zelda paled. ‘Tell me what you saw.’ Silence. She sighed. ‘Hildie, please, I can’t face her unprepared.’ Zelda flinched at how weak her own voice sounded.

Hurriedly crossing the room back to her sister’s side, Hilda once again took Zelda’s cold hand between her own.

‘Lilith… well, she saved you, I believe. She removed the bolt and the ropes.’ Hilda paused, sighing. ‘Poor dear, got herself a number of those nasty burns, she was quite the mess when I arrived.’ She rambled.

‘Hilda, wait, I don’t understand. Why did it take her so long to-’ Zelda’s words died into a groan as she pressed her hand against her forehead, head buzzing as she tried to make sense of her sister’s words.Everything hurt.

‘Believe me, Zelds, you should talk to her.’ Hilda’s voice was sad, but firm.

Surprised at the assertiveness of her sister’s usually soft tone, Zelda nodded, noticing for the first time her clothes had been changed, and she was now clad in a pair of her black silk pajamas instead of one of her usual nightgowns.

‘Fine. If she wants to, then I will speak to her, although I can only imagine how pathetic she must think me now. What a shameful failure I must be in her eyes.’ Bitterness laced her words.

‘Oh. That's not how she feels about you. I’m quite sure.’ Came Hilda’s cryptic response.

With that, she left the room, leaving Zelda to her own thoughts. So far, the witch knew Lilith had intervened, killing the angels and the two other mortals, untying her. After that she wasn’t certain of what had taken place, memories in a blur, which left an at least four-hour long gap, judging by how the sky had darkened outside her window. That gave her nothing, and the fact that the Queen of Hell had decided to stay for so long after the coven was proven safe, made it all very personal. Shamefully so. 

She despised the idea of allowing the Mother of Demons to see her in such a vulnerable position, feared being seen as weak and unworthy by the Queen of Hell. By Lilith. She looked at her forearms, covered in grotesque vine-like angry red burns, the ghost of that searing pain still floating under her skin, and sighed. She was definitely not sure what to expect from this conversation.

Her shoulders cracked and protested as she lifted the pajama top to investigate that part right above her waist, on the left side of her body, that hurt the most. Outside her door, she could hear careful high-heeled footsteps approach, and a moment later, Lilith stood in the doorway, a cup of tea in hand and uncertainty in her eyes. Embarrassed, Zelda quickly pulled the fabric back down, before she could see any of the wound. They stared at each other for a long moment.

‘Hilda told me to bring you this. Said it would make you feel better.’ When Lilith finally spoke, her voice sounded hoarse and unfamiliar.

Zelda nodded.

‘Well, then. Come on in, Your Unholy Majesty. Close the door, will you?’

Lilith looked dismayed at her words and Zelda knew she could see through the formal façade, after all they had been playing that game for quite a while, Queen and High Priestess. Honor, respectability, obedience.The rules were nothing new to either of them, but the truth still somehow hurt.

Sighing, Lilith set the teacup on top of Zelda’s bedside table, taking a hesitant step away from the witch. Zelda took a moment to really look at the demoness, noticing the redness around her eyes, how the usually perfect curls of her hair now looked half undone, as if she had run her fingers through them too many times, and how she now carefully hid her hands behind her body.Slowly, Zelda tried to sit up, watching as Lilith all but staggered forward to help her, fingers wrapping around her elbows, avoiding the burn marks as the witch breathed through the pain in her torso.

‘Don’t move!’ Zelda froze immediately, something inside her refusing to disobey. Lilith flinched at her own voice and continued in almost a whisper. ’You’ve lost a lot of blood.’

Zelda nodded.

‘I am well aware.’

Uncomfortable silence engulfed them for a moment. Zelda’s back against the headboard, Lilith’s hands still on her in an almost stubborn grip. The touch against her skin felt strange, Zelda noticed, looking down to see Lilith’s hands wrapped in bandages. No words escaped the witch’s lips, but the questions were clear in her eyes. 

‘He sealed Hell shut. I could hear you, you know? Every moment, every word. And still I couldn’t do a single thing until Sabrina found a way to break the seal.’

‘Oh.’ Zelda’s eyebrows shot up in realization.

Lilith nodded, eyes glued to the layers and layers of gauze covering her palms.

‘So, when I got here, one could say I was… unhinged.’ The demoness hesitated, ashamed.

‘Is that so?’ Zelda feigned indifference, but the words felt like sand on her tongue.

Lilith nodded.

‘I did something that hopefully won’t upset you too much, dear.’

Zelda frowned, as Lilith’s words sounded suspiciously like an uncharacteristic apology.

‘I still don’t regret it.’ For that one affirmation, all hesitation was gone from the Queen of Hell’s voice.

‘Oh, for hell’s sake, Lilith, out with it, at once.’ She snapped, all anxiety-ridden hurt.

With a sigh, Lilith summoned a small mirror, handing it to her.

‘I believe it’s better if you see it for yourself.’ She pointed at Zelda’s side, the spot between her ribs where the angel had shot her. The one place in her body that stung and burned the most, pain oppressing her lungs with her every breath.

Zelda rolled her eyes and sighed in impatience, trying to ignore how her own heartbeat grew louder and louder. Lifting her top carefully, she exposed soft, unblemished pale skin until she could see it. It was not the mark left by a bolt of angelic steel, not the dark and gangrenous hues it would have left behind as the cruelest of deaths putrefied her blood. No. It was Lilith’s sigil, burning red on her flesh, gleaming and inflamed as if made with a branding iron.

All air left her lungs for a moment, in a pained, incredulous exhale. She had been marked. Branded as property when she couldn’t have refused, made into even less than a sleepwalking wife when she had been the most vulnerable. She tried to calm her breathing, the sound echoing too loud in her head.

‘What in the heavens is this!?’ Her voice sounded high, strange to her own ears.

‘It was the only way-’ Lilith pleaded.

‘You’ve marked me!?’ She interrupted the Queen of Hell.

‘I couldn’t lose you!’ The pleading, apologetic tone returned to her voice.

‘Lose me? Have you lost your mind!?’ Zelda recoiled from Lilith’s touch, in sharp fury.

‘I should be asking you that same question! What were you thinking staying behind like that!?’

The pleading tone was gone.

A tense pause.

'This is absolutely senseless!’

‘Zelda, please-'

‘You did not wish to lose your… plaything, so now you’ve made me what? Your own concubine for eternity, is that it?’ The air felt heavy as the words left her mouth

‘No! I wouldn’t!’ Lilith took a horrified breath and stood up, bandaged hands once again finding her half-undone curls. ‘I wouldn’t, ever. I just… you have to know they make those bolts to kill witches in the worst way possible, had I waited any longer it would have been…’ She shook her head, despair still burning cold in her chest, in her throat, in her hands. ‘There would have been nothing that could be done to bring you back, there would be no Cain pit, no way to fix it, Sabrina, Hilda or I, it wouldn’t matter who tried to. You would be gone. Permanently.’ She faced the window, not looking at the witch.

Oh please, you’re aware that, should something happen to me, there must be other witches who would be more than adequate to be honored with the position of High Priestess, aren’t you?’ Her tone was certain, bitter, but Zelda refused to raise her eyes in the other woman’s direction, choosing to trace the patterns on the comforter. 

‘Zelda…’ Lilith hesitated once again. She knew those words were born of hurt and had very little to do with the church hierarchy. ‘You know that is most definitely not what we’re talking about.’

‘Oh, isn’t it now?’ Sarcasm couldn’t conceal the pain in her voice. ‘Then I must be mistaken, since I thought that whatever happened between us was nothing but a witch showing the Queen of Hell nothing more than the devotion Her Unholy Majesty is entitled to. Secretly, of course, since it would be unbecoming of Her Unholy Majesty to show any kind of preference, I mean what would your subjects in Hell say-’

‘Zelda, please. Stop.’ Lilith’s voice was commanding but not unkind. She frowned. The words stung, but the courage to face the witch hadn’t yet made itself present within her. ‘You are not expendable. You know it.’

Falling silent at the Mother of Demon’s words, Zelda bit her lip, eyes stinging.

‘Spare me the melodramatics, you were the one who insisted that this... dalliance or whatever you might wish to call it, remained a secret.’ Zelda knew that burning feeling in her throat, behind her nose. She hated it, how utterly foolish she felt as she blinked away her unshed tears 

The witch’s words made something inside Lilith snap. She turned to face the redhead, her voice shaky, low and dangerous as she approached the bed once again in two long, quick strides.

‘Do not think you can criticize my ways, Zelda Spellman. I was trying to protect you, to keep you safe.’ A pause. ‘You’ve always known how dangerous this could be, you know that those who are still faithful to Lucifer want us dead, and it’s clear that now that he’s gone the False God believes we are weakened. I was afraid that something like this could happen, and if your connection to me was based on nothing but religious devotion, in case things went wrong, there would still be a chance that you could be spared.’ The demoness watched between heavy breaths as the witch paled, as her hands shook. Had it been anyone else she would have felt triumphant, but now, looking at Zelda, her Zelda, only worry coursed through her.

Lips parted in a silent gasp, Zelda finally dared to look Lilith in the eye. She tried to find the words to contradict the demoness but struggled to force them into a sentence. She felt sick, heartbeat now deafening in her ears.

‘I do not need your pity, I am not incapable. I can defend myself and this coven more than adequately.’ She panted through gritted teeth, all stubborn indignation and pain, frowning as Lilith’s expression went from menacing to simply sad at her words.

Lilith sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed once again, this time closer to the witch, twisting her hands on her lap in a nervous gesture. Her whole being missed warm skin and silky red hair under her fingertips, the press of those soft lips against hers, the sound of her laugh ringing in her ears, and then she simply couldn’t fight anymore. She knew she had to be honest with her beautiful, stubborn High Priestess.

‘Zelda… I’ve watched you present yourself like a lamb to slaughter so many times in the last six months that I’ve almost lost count, and today I thought I might lose you for good before I could even gather the courage to tell you how I really feel. Honestly. How I’ve felt for a long time. It started out as this strange curiosity, but it grew into something a lot more…’ Lilith opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She sighed, shook her head, trying once more. ‘I will make myself clear. I was the one who told Sabrina to stop you from getting married to Blackwood. I knew he would hurt you. I thought you wouldn’t…’ she trailed off, shaking her head. She simply couldn’t find the right words. ‘What I mean is, when I walked through that door six months ago to do Lucifer’s bidding and take Sabrina with me, I half expected you not to be here. I expected not to see you ever again and when I did, I was truly amazed you had managed to survive being married to that awful man, and even though I could not explain it, I was… relieved. So relieved.’ She rambled, looking away in shame.

A sigh escaped Zelda’s lips. She nodded.

‘Then… it was all part of a plan?’ Neither could tell if those words sounded like a question or an accusation. Lilith frowned.

‘What?’

‘I guess it would make sense. You’ve known of my devotion to you ever since I was baptized. You needed an ally, so you made sure you’d have your faithful High Priestess. That’s fair, well played, I guess.’ Her voice was barely above a whisper. No rage, no righteous fury. Only an exhausted kind of sadness she had never known.

‘It is quite the opposite, my dear, can’t you see it? I jeopardized whatever plan I might have had, because…’ Lilith’s frantic words faded as she lost courage.

‘Because?’ Zelda echoed.

‘Because I couldn’t, I-I can’t bear the thought of losing you, Zelda. Not to Blackwood, not to Lucifer, not to the False God, not to anyone. I’ve seen it almost happen way too many times and today I swore it would be the last. Everything I’ve done so far was to keep you from harm, but I couldn’t, could I? I swore you to secrecy and kept my distance to make sure you were safe, but all it did was make you doubt my intentions.’ She sighed. ‘I almost lost you again.’ The words poured out of her almost unconsented, barely more than a pained whisper, as her eyes desperately searched the witch’s face for any sign of understanding, of forgiveness.

Before Zelda could answer, a loud thud coming from downstairs startled them both.

‘My family-’

‘They’re fine,’ Lilith interrupted, ‘no one got hurt, Sabrina was so brave, she was truly amazing. They’re just… moving the bodies, I guess. Ambrose said he wanted to take a look at what remained of them, before I finish turning them into ashes. I’ll get Sabrina to help me, Hell knows the girl needs every chance she can get to learn to control her hellfire summoning.

Zelda nodded, uncomfortable.

‘Good.’ She reached for the teacup, taking a sip of the warm, comforting liquid.

Silence.

‘I meant it.’ The demoness said, casually.

The witch’s hands shook, expensive china clinking. It was as if her heart had decided to suddenly relocate to her throat, making it once again harder and harder to breathe, the pounding loud in her ears. Those three words she had heard. It was true.

‘The question.’ Lilith continued. ‘I really wish to know why you didn’t leave with the rest of the coven. You know you were supposed to.’

‘Oh.’ Her pulse slowed down once again, starting to accept that maybe it had been just the result of a foggy mind, trauma, a vivid imagination, and perhaps, wishful thinking.‘I couldn’t. It would be absurd. For generations, this has been my family home, I couldn’t just allow them to burn it to the ground. We’ve already lost too much, I felt I had to protect it.’ An easy answer to a complex question.

‘By yourself?’

‘What?’

‘You planned on fighting two angels and a bunch of mortals by yourself?’ The demoness frowned.

Zelda’s eyes quickly went back to tracing the patterns on the comforter.

‘Well, if you heard my prayers as you said you did, then you know I did not believe I would be alone for long.’ 

Lilith nodded, uncharacteristically quiet.

‘I’m sorry it took me so long.’ Her fingers carefully touched the back of the witch’s hand.

‘It was not your fault.’ Zelda’s eyes met hers once again, her gaze soft and yet uneasy at the unexpected apology.

Silence. Zelda looked down once again, fingers curling against Lilith’s bandage-wrapped palms. The angry red marks on her own wrists and forearms were no longer scorched flesh, the burning pain now not much more than a dull ache left behind. She wondered how bad her wounds could be, considering the Mother of Demons was quite a lot harder to hurt than herself.

‘Hilda said you got quite a few nasty burns yourself.’

Lilith nodded, pretending absentmindedness.

‘How? I don’t understand, I did not see or hear you arrive, or even a fight, I just remember hellfire and-’ She frowned, her memories wrapped in a thick fog of fear, relief and adrenaline.

‘Don’t strain yourself.’ Lilith’s tone was so gentle, so soft it was absolutely unchallengeable.

Even hesitantly, Zelda had no option but to comply. Even if she knew her well enough to be sure there was something the demoness would rather she didn’t remember, at least for now. However, as Lilith leaned forward, close enough to feel the warmth of Zelda’s skin against hers, the witch could barely focus on those memories again, and when she spoke, Zelda stopped trying.

‘In the past, I would have apologized for marking you. However, it might sound strange but I’m not sorry. Not in the least. You see, my mark will not take your freedom away. Believe me, I would never take your freedom away. So, I would be very pleased if you thought of it as a promise. From now on, every living creature will know that you’re under my protection.’

‘As your High Priestess?’ Zelda’s heart pounded in her chest once again.

‘As my beloved.’ The Queen of Hell smiled. 

Before she could reply, Lilith’s lips were on hers, quick and intense, leaving her breathless, thoughts in disarray.

‘You said it, didn’t you? Before I… you looked into my eyes and said it.’ Zelda pressed her hand against her forehead, trying to catch her breath, to steady herself, as she often did when nervous. ‘Didn’t you?’

Lilith looked down for a moment, smile not gone from her lips.

‘I did.’

‘Why would you do that?’ Zelda gasped, cheeks burning.

‘Because it’s true.’ Lilith replied, smile turning into a smirk. ‘And I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while. You are no concubine, no meaningless pastime, Zelda Spellman.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, soft, warm lips pressed against Lilith’s, in a kiss that tasted fragile and sweet, like a form of fear she had yet to know. Thoughtlessly, as if moved by a will of their own, her arms wrapped themselves around the witch, fingers finding their way, tangling into soft red hair as they had done so many times before. A pained whimper against her lips broke the kiss, making her let go of Zelda almost instantly, resting her hands gently on her waist.

‘Oh, I am so sorry, I…’ She started, embarrassed at her own carelessness.

‘It’s nothing, I… I am fine.’ The witch replied, tying to appear as composed as possible, in spite of the burning sensation under her skin. ‘Well then, since I’m not dead and we’ve settled our,’ she hesitated for a moment, ‘disagreement, so to speak, I wonder how we should proceed, regarding my family, and the coven, of course, since I do believe we must have some explaining to do.’

Lilith’s eyebrows rose at the comment and she nodded.

‘Well, I agree the coven will probably need word of our new… arrangement, but as for your family, I believe that after what they’ve seen earlier, there’s no more explaining to be done, at least on my part.’ She looked away, nervous. ‘As I said, when Sabrina finally freed me, I was quite the mess.’ 

‘Honestly, I still don’t understand what you mean by that.’ Zelda muttered in a deep sigh.

Before Lilith could reply, Hilda’s shuffling footsteps could be heard outside the door, and soon the blonde witch entered the bedroom, looking completely unbothered at the sudden lack of the respectable distance her sister always seemed to maintain from the Queen of Hell.

‘Zelds, I got some healing potions and- ooh, I see the two of you have finally settled your little quarrel!’ She said, cheerful, placing a couple of glass vials on the bedside table, eyeing Lilith’s hands still around Zelda’s waist.

Zelda blushed in fury, opening her mouth to reply in harsh, caustic tones, but a look from the Mother of Demons had her at a loss for words, looking down, face burning, heart accelerating once again.

‘It appears so, doesn’t it?’ Lilith smiled, meeting Hilda’s eyes in strange complicity. ‘And all it took was killing a few angels. Had I been aware of that, I’d have sworn to make the heavens burn ages ago.’ The demoness deadpanned, but her hands pulled the witch closer almost involuntarily

Red lips pressed against Zelda’s pale temple, in a strange, soft kiss. A kiss that carried the promise of the yet unexplored realm of chaste, casual, public touches, as shy laughter filled the room and Lilith’s hands still didn’t move away from her. Sighing, Zelda reached for the potions, grimacing as she drank them. Cozy light-headedness embraced her as she once again leaned back against the pillows, taking Lilith’s hand in hers as Hilda hastily left the room, humming to herself.

‘Stay.’ The witch said. Then, bashfully, almost apologetically, she pleaded. ‘Will you?’

Something warm bloomed in Lilith’s chest at those words, and for once, she felt her smile reached her eyes.

‘For as long as you’d have me, my love.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!! This is it!! Hope you've enjoyed part 2 as well! Please, feel free to leave a comment telling me how you feel (and if you're interested in a possible bonus chapter!)! Once again, thank you all so much for reading and fo all your lovely comments!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! So, this one has been done for the longest time (like, months), but I was seriously debating wether or not I should post it, since it's pretty violent, and worst of all: I couldn't find a title for it! Still, there is one more chapter coming up next week (and maybe a third one later, if you guys want it)! Please, feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to know how you guys feel about this one!


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